Caramelized Hearts
It’s in her crooked dimple—
if you think you’re ever going to get over her,
well, you might as well give up that very notion right now,
You’re going to be looking for her face in every stranger,
her mouth on every face,
her tongue in every night you ever live
It’s a bit o’ honey
for the poison
She scoffs–
that was like, a ZILLION years ago
wow you even remember that?
There’s no way you still remember that
. . .
Ever sink back a drink on those few and far between nights
when we had the meteors in our grasp, just not within our sights
how we memorized each other’s social security numbers
just in case, because you never know
when we were having something else in mind
I made the mistakes a young man makes
pressed the gas, when I should of pumped the brakes
too many dawns and you never see the sun set
our hearts on high
always, just in case, because you never really know
Bend in the Stream
Hanging in the current, ride on the thermals
it used to be a long time I knew you-
now that was a long time ago
we used to chunk rocks
now we are the stones
before you even knew it started
it was already all over
she sink she sink she sink
+ skin your face
she’s up against the rocks
blowing you a kiss
Eight mountains high
sipping ripples in the pond
flies on your miraculous spine
you can’t never buzz ‘em off
Leopards on the ridge have the best view
even Angels take the night off
doing the backstroke
in the Arabian sea sands
and there is no end to the end.
Christian Garduno’s work can be read in over 55 literary magazines. He is the recipient of the 2019 national Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry. Christian Garduno is a Finalist in the 2020-2021 Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Writing Contest. He lives and writes along the South Texas coast with his wonderful wife Nahemie and young son Dylan.
